CMAA Who We Are

The Club Management Association of America (CMAA) is the professional Association for managers of membership clubs. CMAA has close to 6,800 members across all classifications. Our manager members operate more than 2,500 country, golf, athletic, city, faculty, military, town, and yacht clubs. The objectives of the Association are to promote and advance friendly relations among persons connected with the management of clubs and other associations of similar character; to encourage the education and advancement of members; and to assist club officers and members, through their managers, to secure the utmost in efficient and successful operations. CMAA is headquartered in Alexandria, VA, with 28 staff, 42 affiliated chapters and more than 40 student chapters and colonies.

Vision: CMAA seeks to ensure the existence and growth of a thriving club industry led by CMAA educated professionals. Strategically, CMAA looks to enhance membership offerings and build an even more inclusive, value-driven, well-functioning organization. Under the covenants of professionalism, education, leadership and community, CMAA continues to extend its reach as the leader in the club management practice.

CMAA’s Lifetime Professional Development Program prepares our members to lead, succeed, innovate, stretch boundaries, expand expertise, and create a thriving club environment. Remaining steadfast to our mission and our long tradition of stellar professional development opportunities, CMAA works with a dynamic assemblage of committed, competent and highly regarded educators in the hospitality and club industry to ensure that CMAA members benefit from an authentic academic experience. Each of CMAA’s educational endeavors are developed using the highest academic standards.

In the early 1980s, CMAA’s leaders saw the need for a formal academic program for club industry professionals. Because managers at all phases of their careers need instruction, education, or inspiration, the concept of the “lifetime professional development program” was born. The vision was realized as a multi-campus-based program that provides tangible career benchmarks by which managers can track their progress and strive for various levels of competency, including a respected

CMAA University is a comprehensive education platform that is complimentary for CMAA members, to earn credits towards certification and further your career. Courses are taken at your pace and on your schedule. Content areas include Archived Webinars, Certificate Programs, Conference Education, the Manager in Development program, Executive Level Education, and Micro Learning. Club Resource Center subscribers can access CMAA University through their club’s portal.

The CCM designation is known as the hallmark of professionalism in club management. It is a valuable and widely respected mark of a manager’s commitment to professional development and the club industry. On average, Certified Club Managers earn 25 percent more than their non-certified counterparts.

ClubCareers provides online access to the most comprehensive job opportunities and employment resources available in the industry. Four distinctive job listings – including CEO/COO to entry level positions, interim roles, and internships – are accessible to members and non-members (limited) and assist both those seeking new positions or wishing to list open club opportunities. CMAA also offers résumé and LinkedIn review/writing services as well as career coaching.

This is the largest network gathering of industry professionals, which is held in major cities throughout the United States, generally in February. Attendees engage in a variety of educational and networking opportunities, including more than 70 education programs tailored to the 10 core competencies needed for success in the club industry, a two day exposition, the Club Business Expo, featuring innovative products and services, and the annual Idea Fair featuring hundreds of club-tested ideas.

Traditionally held in September, the Leadership/Legislative Conference (LLC) features sessions focused on the education and instruction necessary to have an immediate impact on chapter-national alignment efforts and volunteer management. As the LLC is designed to emphasize leadership, legal, and strategic thinking, this event provides CMAA members – specifically chapter officers/chairmen/managing directors, and national committee members – with the means necessary to successfully execute chapter management and related leadership roles and responsibilities.

CMAA’s Summits are one- to three-day programs that focus on one specific competency area. The Summits are designed for one or more club team members and provide in-depth professional development that will help club managers and their department head(s) and/or board member(s) for the betterment of the club industry. CMAA first introduced these programs in 2016 with the Club Governance and Leadership Summit, with the purpose of educating club executives and their board members in governance and club trends. Since that time, two other programs have been developed with the intent of further education on specific topical areas – club communications and capital improvement projects – and with plans for more to come.

CMAA supports its membership’s interest on legislative and regulatory matters by leveraging its resources to advocate on behalf of CMAA educated professionals. CMAA identifies legislative and regulatory issues on the state and national levels that affect the club industry; educates and informs Association members of these issues; and works in cooperation with its chapters and allied associations to address legislation of mutual interest.

The Association offers members the most current and useful information available on club operations, governance, trends and management. Through various resources and publications such as Club Management magazine, the electronic Outlook newsletter, various research surveys, and its comprehensive website, CMAA provides the widest range of club industry resources found anywhere.Special Interest Groups

CMAA’s Special Interest Groups (SIGs) serve as a way to bring together members of similar character and shared interests to build communities within the Association at-large. These member communities, and their related events and initiatives, cultivate the expertise that exists within the groups to share not only among themselves, but with other CMAA members as well. CMAA’s current SIGs include: International Wine Society, YoPros, Women in Club Management, Yacht Club Managers, City Club Managers, and Golf Tournament Council.

The Club Foundation was established by CMAA in 1988 with the mission of raising funds to financially support the professional development of club managers through education, outreach, and research initiatives. CF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and has distributed funds in excess of $7.5 million to support scholarships and grants which benefit students, faculty, club management professionals, CMAA chapters, and the club industry at large.

A subscription to the Club Resource Center provides each of your staff members with a unique login and password so that they can access staff training courses on their time and at their own pace. Each user’s progress is recorded so that the team leader can monitor progress and identify areas in need of improvement. The comprehensive reporting features further simplify record keeping and helps keep you in compliance. The Club Resource Center also provides access to member education, industry surveys and a library of resources to help you with day-to-day club operations.

CMAA is the managing body of the Club Spa & Fitness Association (CSFA), an association that was established in 2007 to provide support for fitness and spa professionals in the club industry. CSFA has always been committed to providing educational and networking opportunities to help CSFA members advance their careers; and, with CMAA’s management of it, a greater focus is being given to the wellness component at our member clubs and is, thereby, expanding the educational and networking reach offered to CSFA and CMAA members alike.